A brutal and controlling abuser may have broken his wife’s ribs when he “rugby tackled” the nurse into a kitchen unit, a court has heard.
But the domestic abuse survivor, a wife of 11 years to Michael McIntosh, was “too embarrassed” to have her bruised ribs examined in a hospital.
The 34-year-old landscaper later called his partner, who worked nightshifts on a busy Covid ward, a “lazy bitch” and insisted that the keyworker clean his home instead of sleep.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard that McIntosh mistreated his “sleep deprived” wife on various occasions between January 2019 and August 2020 and prevented her from seeing relatives.
Fiscal depute Kiral Bonavino said he started to make “derogatory remarks” to her in April 2019, when their relationship first began to deteriorate.
Wife was keyworker in pandemic
At the beginning of the first coronavirus lockdown, during spring 2020, he began controlling her and accusing her of infidelity.
The fiscal said: “She was working as a nurse in a Covid ward.
“The nature of her work made it as such she was trying not to be at her home for some time.
“But on at least three occasions she returned to the home following a night shift and when she arrived, the accused would not allow her to sleep.
“He insisted she clean the house and wash the windows while he remained in bed.
“These incidents left her sleep deprived.”
‘Rugby tackled’ her in kitchen
The court heard how, around the same time, McIntosh began preventing his wife from seeing or contacting her sister.
“If she did speak to her and he found out, this would lead to arguments,” the fiscal added. “He argued with her and on occasions would push her on the body.
“The accused was also not amenable to hearing about any of her male colleagues and tended to accuse her of cheating on him whenever she spoke about male colleagues.”
The physical violence described to the court included an instance in winter 2019, when the pair were arguing in the kitchen of their home.
“The accused did a rugby tackle to the complainer, pushing her with full force into the kitchen unit,” the fiscal said.
“She stated this left her in pain and with bruising to the ribs. She believed her ribs were broken, given she couldn’t lift her arm, however she didn’t seek medical treatment.
“She said she didn’t want to face the embarrassment of going back to her own work place with the injury.”
When McIntosh was asked to leave the home in Autumn of 2020 and told he needed to “adjust his temperament”, he reacted by telling his wife to “f*** off”.
“He later went upstairs, packed some of his belongings and returned downstairs, where he resumed shouting and swearing at the complainer telling her to f*** off,” the fiscal added.
When police arrived, they described the woman as appearing “scared and upset”.
McIntosh admitted a charge of domestic abuse and of failing to attend at a trial diet.
He also pleaded guilty to three charges of assault on other people between January and September 2017.
Defence agent John McLeod said his client’s conduct was “an appalling pattern of entirely unacceptable abuse”.
‘Overusing cannabis at the time’
“He has made a complete mess of his life and it’s now with hindsight and reflection he is able to engage with his behaviour,” the solicitor said.
“He admits he was overusing cannabis at the time. He has since engineered a change in his own attitude and health.
“He accepts the trauma, hurt and disappointment he has caused.
“There’s no chance of him forgetting that any time soon.”
Mr McLeod added that McIntosh has since moved away and has been “throwing himself into his work landscaping” and “been filling every waking hour with exercise”.
Sheriff Andrew Miller agreed it was an “appalling catalogue of unacceptable behaviour”.
“These are events which spanned a significant period of your life,” he added.
Now free of drugs
The sheriff considered background reports and testimonials and agreed McIntosh had made “significant changes” to his life, in terms of relocation, work, volunteering and ceasing to use drugs.
He told him: “You have clearly reflected carefully on the period of your life that this case concerned.”
As a direct alternative to custody, he handed McIntosh, of Netherview Road in Dyce, 200 hours of unpaid work, a two-year supervision order and a three-year non-harassment order.
He also ordered McIntosh to complete the Caledonian System – a men’s rehabilitation programme – over the next two years.
It’s designed to encourage men to recognise their abuse and take responsibility for themselves and their relationships.
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